Through 14 countries and 10,000km, Michael’s roundabout way to boost little-known charity
DERBY DJ and personal trainer Michael Whitaker raised more than £500 for charity with his recent mammoth tour of European cities.
Over five weeks, Michael and his wife
Rose covered 14 countries and 10,000km in an intricately planned trip in which he set up and played DJ sets in big cities along the way, including such iconic settings as the Colosseum and the
Eiffel Tower.
It was great fun but there was a serious side. Michael was raising funds for the little-known charity AMMF – the only charity in this country dedicated to raising awareness and supporting research for cholangiocarcinoma.
In short, that is bile duct cancer and it is the second most common primary liver cancer. Difficult to diagnose and usually incurable, the disease nonetheless has a number of treatments available to try to manage the symptoms.
“I first heard of this charity because one of my personal training clients, Charlotte Roe, was diagnosed with it,” says Michael.
“In total, we raised just over £500 and I am so pleased we hit our target and thanks to everyone who contributed and shared all the content.
“We discovered so many beautiful areas in Europe that we never would have imagined and almost impossible to do if we weren’t driving.
“One of the highlights was Wroclaw in Poland, with its beautiful architecture and a magical river running through the city.
“Mokra Gora in Serbia was just an unbelievable national park. We hiked through the forest and reached what would be the equivalent of the Grand Canyon but covered in greenery.
“I played the music to picturesque sunsets, in green valleys, derelict train stations and near monuments such as the Colosseum and the Eiffel Tower.
“I managed to get a set recorded in every country and met some great people while doing them. In some locations, such as Lake Skadar in Montenegro, people just came up and started dancing.”
Michael’s DJ sets can be found via his instagram account, miz. on.uk.